Owen Benjamin
Owen Benjamin | |
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![]() Benjamin in 2017 | |
Birth name | Owen Smith |
Born | Fulton, New York, U.S. | May 24, 1980
Medium | Stand-up, television, film, internet |
Nationality | American |
Education | SUNY Plattsburgh |
Years active | 2006 – present |
Genres | |
Spouse | Amy Reinke Smith (m. 2015) |
Notable works and roles | The Improv Punk'd The House Bunny |
Website | Official website |
Owen Benjamin (born May 24, 1980) is an American comedian, pianist, actor, and alt-right political commentator.
Contents
Early life
Owen Benjamin was born to John Kares Smith and Jean Troy-Smith, both professors at Oswego State University.[1] He attended Plattsburgh State College, where he got his start in television at the student-run TV station.[2]
Career
Benjamin has a podcast, Why Didn't They Laugh, on Sideshow Network. He hosted Esquire Network's The Next Great Burger in 2015. He played a correspondent to Tyson Beckford and Rev Run on their show It's Not You It's Men (2016) on the OWN network.[3]
Benjamin produces the late show on Saturday Nights at The Improv in Hollywood, California, and has also performed on MTV's show Punk'd.[4] Benjamin has starred in several web-only video series, including: Sony Pictures Television's C-SPOT, the role of Owen on Gaytown, Chance Stevens on Heckle U for CBS Interactive,[5] and as a host of his own series, Owen Benjamin Presents.[6]
In 2008, Benjamin had a supporting role in The House Bunny.[2][7] In 2009, he played the lead role in the romantic comedy All's Faire in Love, co-starring with Christina Ricci.[2][7] He was on Comedy Central Presents in 2010. For three seasons (2012–14), Benjamin portrayed Owen Walsh on the TBS original comedy Sullivan & Son.[2]
Other work
Benjamin hosted the annual ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards from 2014 to 2016.[8]
Benjamin appeared on Inside Amy Schumer in the episode "A Chick Who Can Hang."[9]
Benjamin was also a correspondent on The Jay Leno Show,[10] twice appearing on the program.[2]
Personal life
In 2009, Benjamin was engaged to actress Christina Ricci.[2] The couple broke up in June of that year,[11] after six months of dating.[7][11][12]
Benjamin lives in Saranac Lake, New York.[13] He is married to Amy Reinke Smith, with whom he has a son, Charlie, born in July 2018.[14]
Benjamin has cited Adam Sandler and Vince Vaughn as being comedy influences.[15]
Falsehoods and controversial opinions
His comedy is influenced by, and criticized because of, his conservative social and political views. He is opposed to political correctness and has been intentionally offensive to mock those who would police his speech.[13] Scheduled shows of his have been cancelled and he has been suspended from Twitter for this behavior;[13][16] such behavior includes advocating for the return of slavery to enslave Shaun King.[17] Benjamin has used crowdfunded money to rent the venues for his shows.[18]
Owen Benjamin believes that the transgender organization is part of a eugenics program funded by Bill Gates to lower the world population.[19] Benjamin has accused Jesse Thorn of being a "child molester" for having a transgender child. Benjamin has also used many anti-LGBT slurs.[20]
Owen Benjamin does not believe in the moon landing.[21]
Benjamin supports some anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, according to Insider Inc.[22] On a March 8, 2019 YouTube livestream, Owen Benjamin claimed that Michael Jackson was killed by 'the Jews' for challenging them: "...but Jackson [...] and also he was challenging the Jews, and that's when they killed him."[23] In the same livestream he also compared non-Israeli Jews to bloodsucking parasites who ruin countries, saying:
"It's like okay, if you're talking about a nomadic tribe that has spent thousands of years going to countries and ruining the countries and then being kicked out, what's the best-case scenario? They get their own country. Okay, imagine you have people that are always crashing on your couch, and–and bringing girls home and leaving needles and shit, and they get their own house. Good! [...] These people are fucking awful, these people. They are want open borders for America. 'Uuuugh.' The best Jews are Israelis! Not the ones that are like "Uuuugh", the ones that are like "give us a place that we can make good. Make Israel great." Yes I'm all about it, just do it there. Don't make us that! That's the whole point! That's–that's why I'm so supportive of Israel. It's like, finally, you have a tribe of people that goes from dog to dog just getting blood—I did not just compare them to fleas. Yes I did! Yes I did. And then a dog dies and they jump on—historically accurate! Finally you have people that take pride in the dirt they fucking live on. Good. Good! How the fuck is that bad? The gypsies do the same shit, they're just too stupid to actually make money."[24]
Benjamin has also posted fabricated verses from the Talmud to demonize Jews [25] and denies that gas chambers were used in the Holocaust. [26]
Works
Discography and comedy specials
- 2010: Comedy Central Presents (TV release)
- 2013: High Five Til It Hurts! (CD/DVD/audio download/video download)
- 2017: Feed the Bear (video download)
- 2018: Huge Pianist (audio download/video download)
References
- ^ "Look at OZ: Stand-up comic Owen Benjamin – The Oswegonian". 2018-11-29. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ^ a b c d e f "Oswego native Owen Benjamin to perform at Funny Bone in Syracuse". Oswego County News Now. 2016-08-21.
- ^ ""It's Not You It's Men" Full Cast/Crew Credits". IMDb.com.
- ^ "Owen Benjamin's tweet from February 9, 2018".
- ^ Frommer, Dan. "Lindsay Campbell's New Show, 'Heckle U', Launching Today". Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "C-Spot Season 2 on Crackle". thecomicscomic. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ a b c Christina Ricci is Engaged!, usmagazine.com, March 17, 2009.
- ^ "Comedian Owen Benjamin Returns As Host Of The Art Directors Guild 20th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards". shootonline.com. 2015-11-12.
- ^ Inside Amy Schumer on IMDb
- ^ "Jay Leno adds to posse". Variety.com. 2009-09-08.
- ^ a b Casablanca, Ted (2009-06-04). "Christina Ricci Breaks Off Engagement—Did She Scream Then, Too?". E! Online.
- ^ "Christina Ricci calls off her engagement to 'All's Faire in Love' co-…". 2012-09-07. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ a b c "Local comic Day Bracey clashes online with alt-right comedian Owen Be…". 2018-04-19. Archived from the original on 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Owen Benjamin Comedy on Twitter: "Both momma and baby are happy and h…". 2018-11-29. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Weiser, Sonia (2013-06-27). "The Laughspin Interview with Owen Benjamin". Laughspin.com.
- ^ "What Happened To Owen Benjamin Is Further Proof We Are Losing Our Min…". 2017-09-29. Archived from the original on 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Joe, Berkowitz (December 3, 2018). "Why is Amazon promoting this anti-trans alt right troll's comedy special?". Fast Company. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ "Conservatives banished from comedy industry". The Washington Times. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ www.rightwingwatch.org http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/owen-benjamin-transgender-rights-movement-is-a-u-n-sponsored-eugenics-program/. Retrieved 2019-04-19. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ^ Deto, Ryan. "Local comic Day Bracey clashes online with alt-right comedian Owen Benjamin over canceled Pittsburgh show". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
- ^ www.rightwingwatch.org http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/owen-benjamin-another-red-pill-overdose-victim/. Retrieved 2019-04-12. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ^ Einbinder, Nicole. "White nationalists continue to post on Instagram, despite a new Facebook policy banning such content". Insider Inc. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
- ^ Benjamin, Owen (2019-03-08), #464 Proxy Warriors, retrieved 2019-04-30
- ^ Benjamin, Owen (2019-03-08), #464 Proxy Warriors, retrieved 2019-04-30
- ^ Mandel, Bethany. "How did conservative comedian Owen Benjamin became a darling of the 'alt-right'?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Owen Benjamin "There were no Gas Chambers"". YouTube. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
External links
- 1980 births
- Male actors from New York (state)
- American male comedians
- Living people
- People from Oswego, New York
- State University of New York at Plattsburgh alumni
- 21st-century American male actors
- Comedians from New York (state)
- 21st-century American comedians
- Criticism of political correctness
- American neo-Nazis
- American Holocaust deniers
- Alt-right